Fighting Doesn't Pay

NBA A daily closeup Friday's notebook

December 2, 1989

HOUSTON'S AKEEM Olajuwon was fined $5,000 and Charlotte's J.R. Reid $1,000 Friday for their fight in the third quarter of Thursday night's Rockets-Magic game. Olajuwon's fine was for initiating the fight and Reid was fined for elbowing and fighting. Both players were ejected.

RASMUSSEN EXPECTING BIG BUCKS

DENVER NUGGETS center Blair Rasmussen is ready to sign a new contract, reportedly worth $17.5 million over seven years, The Denver Post reported. Herb Rudoy, Rasmussen's agent, said he has not reached an agreement in principle on the contract, but it could be signed sometime today. The contract would make Rasmussen one of the 10 highest-paid players in the NBA and the highest-paid Nugget, The Post said. Rasmussen, 27, a 7-foot, 250-pound center, was selected by Denver in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft out of Oregon. Rasmussen is averaging 15 points and 9.2 rebounds this season.

NUGGETS SOLD . . . FINALLY THE SALE of the Denver Nuggets to a group of investors from Chicago headed by Peter Bynoe and Bertram Lee was finalized Thursday night, almost six months after the sale was announced. Sidney Schlenker closed his sale of the club for $54 million in the offices of his lawyer, Steve Farber. Shlenker admitted the deal was the longest he'd ever completed: ''I don't remember anything close. But I have to tell you there was never any unpleasantness. There were problems, but not unpleasantness.''